Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-05-29
Sunday, May az. 1857.
MoNTANA's

Twenty-three years ago says the
Herald of the 26th, during the early
part Of the last year of our great civil
war, while Abraham Lincoln was pres
ident. Montana came into existence as
q territory and set forth, amid the
clash of arms, upon her career of
peaceful prosperity to achieve fame,
fortune and state rights. The back
bone of the rebellion had been broken
the year before. The north then had
q million of men under arms. Gen.
Grant had assumed command Of the
armies and the same month in which
Montana was organized, began his
advance into the wilderness. In that
same month Sherman began his grand
march from Chattanooga TO Atlanta.
The war spirit of the country was at
its highest pitch and the mighty ener-
gies OF the nation were at full play on
n scale never before seen on this con-
tiDent and hardly ever in the worlds
history. Though so far removed from
the seat of war; Montana was rent
with the same division of sympathies
that existed throughout the border
states from whence most of her earlier
emigration came. In the same year
that Montana was organized the Nor.
them Pacific railroad was chartered.
The total railroad mileage in the coun-
try at that time was only SS, 1903, and
all the railroad built in the United
States during 1854 was only 7Ss miles.
Now the aggregate mileage of the
country Is moe than 100000 greater.
and more miles of road will be built
in Montana this year than there were
In the whole Uniteo States in 1864.
During 1864 the national greenback
currency OF the country was worth
only fifty cents on the dollar 10 Mon
tans, and the resumption Of specie
payments and the payment Of the ma
tional debt were generally considered
impossibilities. II any one had said
then that within fifteen years specie
payments would be resumed all over
the country, and that in twent, years
the national debt would be more tnan
half paid. he would have been laughed
at as a fool or nitied as a demented
person. But we are more directly
concerned in noting the progress that
Montana has made In these twenty.
three years. In 1854 Montana was
considered ss of little account except
for her placer mines. When these
were worked out IL was expected that
the country would be generally aban.
doned to the savages and wild beasts.
II was not then supposed that our soil
was fitted for any agricultural crops OF
that our ranges could support stock o.
any kind all the year around in any
quantity or with any certainty of in
crease of profit. For many years there
after our quartz mines were regarded
Of little or uncertain value, aud all the
early attempts 10 operate quartz mills
were disastrous failures. Our popula-
ton 10 1864 included very few families
and no one expected to make MOntana
a permanent home. How all this has
been changed within u score Of years.
We are still a territory but we have a
permanent populatian suffi cient to en-.
title us TO be u state. We have thou.
sands OF acres of cultivated farms, hun
dreds Of thousands of head of valuable
stock. We have scores of quartz
mines rated In the millions and home.
grown millioDaires by the dozen. We
have hundreds of fourishing schools
and school houses and churches that
would be a credit TO some Of the origi.
nal thirteen states. We have hun.
dreds Of miles Of railroad which will
be increased into the thousands before
the season is over. We have regular
courts to do the work Of vigilance CON-
mittees aud court houses that would
put to shame the majority In the Older
states. Without filling In the details
Of. this record Of progress, we car
pride ourselves with having reached
the front rank already In some OF thu
leading lines Of production, precioul
metals and stock. Our people arr
prosperous. contented, hopeful and
,xnUroasiva ~